Lara is not the WI team

THE EDITOR: Whenever the WI cricket team loses a match, the blame is placed squarely on the shoulders of Brian Lara. Everyone should be that good at what he or she does; as Brian Lara is in the game of cricket. Hats off to him for this most deserving phenomenal cricket record. This new record is one that only he can break. After giving Lara his due on his extraordinary accomplishment, I am forced to turn to the “flip-side” of this event, with the view of addressing Lara’s detractors. Too many people were against Lara’s “second guessing” his every move on and off the field - his personal life and professional life. The latter for the most part, was always in question with regards to his leadership qualities and his ability to captain the West Indies cricket team.

One of the sport journalists openly remarked during a second test in TT that Lara by moving himself in the batting order from number three to number six should have been removed as captain. He further remarked that the change was rank foolishness and could well have cost the West Indies the second Test. Just imagine, that Lara just by going in to bat lower in the batting order cost the WI the second Test — what utter foolishness! Not a faulty change of bowlers or a position change of one of the fieldsmen, or even Lara dropping a pivotal catch. The sport journalist further stated maybe now real West Indian cricket enthusiasts would understand what a captain’s real job is.

On the journalist’s rush to judgement he failed to note what is expected of the other members of the team. The journalist may “jump out of his skull” if he knew that Garfield Sobers and Everton Weekes when asked what was troubling this young West Indies team spoke with one voice. The young players’ attitude and approach to the game of cricket were the determinative central issue. In rating the captaincy of anyone nowadays a great deal of attention should be given to the attitude, ability and skills of the players of the team the captain is forced to captain. The present crop of players that make up the WI cricket team should all consider a different line of work.

In order to play cricket to one’s full potential, one must not only like the game. He must be dedicated, committed and above all, he should bring something to the game (as Brian Lara does each time he takes to the wicket) and not take from it, as most of our modern-day players, with their condescending attitude. I am at a loss to know why is it some fine WI cricketing enthusiasts place so much emphasis on the captaincy of the game and not on the talent of the players? A former WI cricket captain saw Brian Lara as a flawed captain. He allegedly said that Brian Lara has failed as a leader of men. He further went on to describe Lara’s captaincy as uninspiring and at times incomprehensible. He had nice things to say however about Clive Lloyd. He found Clive Lloyd to be very straight, very strict and serious at times, pulling no punches but he could relax. (No two people are alike, not even identical twins.) And the players would do anything for him.

Which begs the question, when our WI cricket players hit the field, are they there to play cricket for the West Indies for which they are well paid, or are they there to hate or like the captain of the cricket team?  The utterances of this ex-WI cricket captain, and that of the local sports journalist show nothing but disdain for Brian Lara as the captain of the WI cricket team and unprecedented admiration for Clive Lloyd. In order to bring some level of objectivity to the Brian Lara captaincy of the WI cricket team which has been absent. I have set out to bring to the fore this obvious bias that is pat and parcel of Brian Lara’s elevation to the captaincy of the WI cricket team. During the hey-days of WI cricket teams in the 60s and 70s many of the captains could have best been described as uninspiring and mediocre by modern-day standards. Yet the teams during that era performed to the “max.” 

The WI cricket team, and its counterpart Australia, were the teams to bet — how soon we forget? No overt criticisms were ever levelled at those WI captains of the past, as in the norm today. The successes of those teams then, lent some degree of credence to the saying: “nothing succeeds like success.” Those who view Brian Lara as a flawed West Indian cricket captain should take some time off, and look at what he brings to the game just by being here. If anything our iconic-legend and son-of-the-soil is now cricket in its true form with or without a West Indies victory. We should all rally behind one of our most “gifted sons,” instead of joining his detractors in “stringing him up.” There is such a thing as leadership by example of which we should all be aware.

On addressing Lara’s aloofness, and well documented superiority complex, like Lara, I much prefer to hear people saying, “I think I am better than everyone else,” than to hear them say “I act as though I felt everyone was better than I am.” In order to survive as a Black person in the world today it is obligatory of us to embrace “narcissism” as a symbol of liberation which is a means of enhancing our survival. To do otherwise could be most damaging to us. We must bury our old dead selves to walk in the newness of life.

ULRIC GUY
Point Fortin